Chrysanthemum plant named `Ivory Fashion Time`

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named Ivory Fashon Time, characterized by its flat capitulum form; vigorous and tall growth habit; freely branching plant habit; medium decorative-type inflorescences; pure white ray florets; numerous inflorescences per plant; numerous ray florets per inflorescence; and good postproduction longevity.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora andreferred to by the cultivar name Ivory Fashion Time.

The new cultivar is a spontaneous mutation of the commercial cultivarFashion Time (U.S. Plant Patent application Ser. No. 08/627,606). Thenew cultivar was discovered and selected by the inventor in Havant,Hampshire, United Kingdom, as a single plant among a population ofplants of the cultivar Fashion Time. This single plant consistentlyformed inflorescences having white-colored ray florets compared to thepink-colored ray florets of plants of the cultivar Fashion Time.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken atHavant, Hampshire, United Kingdom, has shown that the unique features ofthis new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type insuccessive generations.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of Ivory Fashion Time. Thesecharacteristics in combination distinguish Ivory Fashion Time as a newand distinct cultivar:

1. Flat capitulum form.

2. Vigorous and tall growth habit.

3. Freely branching plant habit.

4. Medium decorative-type inflorescences.

5. Pure white ray florets.

6. Numerous inflorescences per plant.

7. Numerous ray florets per inflorescence.

8. Good postproduction longevity with inflorescences maintaining goodsubstance and color for more than 18 days in an interior environment.

The cultivar Ivory Fashion Time has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are similar to the mutation parentcultivar Fashion Time in plant habit and growth rate. However inside-by-side comparisons in Oxnard, Calif., under commercial practice,plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivarFashion Time in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are shorter than plants of thecultivar Fashion Time.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more freely branching than plantsof the cultivar Fashion Time.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have smaller and shorterinflorescences than plants of the cultivar Fashion Time.

4. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are white in color,whereas ray florets of plants of the cultivar Fashion Time are pink incolor.

A detailed comparison of plants of the new Chrysanthemum and thecultivar Fashion Time appears in Chart A at the end of thespecification.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are similar to the cultivar Envy(disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,986) in ray floret color. However,in side-by-side comparisons conducted in Oxnard, Calif., undercommercial practice, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed fromplants of the cultivar Envy in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are taller, are more vigorous, andhave longer lateral branches and peduncles than plants of the cultivarEnvy.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more freely branching and havemore inflorescences per stem than plants of the cultivar Envy.

3. Leaves of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are shorter and narrowerthan leaves of plants of the cultivar Envy.

4. Inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are smaller andslightly shorter than inflorescences of the cultivar Envy.

5. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are shorter andbroader than ray florets of plants of the cultivar Envy.

6. The color of the opening ray florets on plants of the newChrysanthemum is lighter yellow than opening ray florets of plants ofthe cultivar Envy.

7. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have more ray florets and fewer discflorets per inflorescence than plants of the cultivar Envy.

8. Disc florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are shorter than discflorets of plants of the cultivar Envy.

A detailed comparison of plants of the new Chrysanthemum and thecultivar Envy appears in Chart B at the end of the specification.

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. The photographcomprises a top perspective view of a typical flowering 16.5-cmcontainer of Ivory Fashion Time with five cuttings in the container andthe terminal inflorescences removed (center-budded pot chrysanthemum).

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observationsand measurements describe plants grown in Oxnard, Calif., undercommercialpractice in a glass-covered greenhouse with average nighttemperatures of 18° C., average day temperatures of 30° C., and lightlevels of 2,000 (cloudy conditions) to 9,000 (sunny conditions)footcandles.

After sticking unrooted cuttings of the new cultivar, plants received 21long day/short nights followed by short day/long nights until flowering.Two weeks after the start of the short day/long night treatment, plantsreceived four weekly spray applications of daminozide growth retardantat a rate of 2,500 ppm. Measurements and numerical values representranges or averages for six typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar IvoryFashion Time.

Commercial classification: Decorative potted chrysanthemum.

Parentage: Spontaneous mutation of Dendranthema grandiflora cultivarFashion Time (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 08/627,606).

Propagation:

Type.--Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to rooting.--7 to 10 days with soil temperatures of 21° C.

Rooting habit.--Fine, fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

Appearance.--Perennial herbaceous decorative potted plant. Stemsupright, uniform habit and freely branching. Vigorous growth habit.

Plant height.--25 to 26 cm.

Lateral branch length.--21 to 23 cm.

Quantity of lateral branches after removal of apical meristem.--About 4.

Stem color.--147B.

Foliage description.--Number of leaves per lateral branch: 16 to 17.Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Leaf size, fully expanded: Length: 11 to12.5 cm. Width: 6 to 7 cm. Leaf apex: Acuminate. Leaf base: Attenuate.Leaf margin: Palmately lobed. Leaf texture: Upper and under surfacesslightly pubsecent, smooth and dull. Veins prominent on under surface.Petiole length: About 2 cm.Color: Young foliage upper surface: 147A.Young foliage under surface: 147B. Fully expanded foliage upper surface:147A. Fully expanded foliage under surface: 147B. Venation uppersurface: 147B. Venation under surface: 147B. Petiole: 147A.

Flowering description:

Appearance.--Decorative inflorescence form. Inflorescences borne onterminals above foliage, arising from leaf axils. Disc and ray floretsarranged acropetally on a flat capitulum.

Flowering response.--Under natural conditions, plant flowers in theautumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other times of the year,inflorescence initiation and development can be induced under shortday/long night conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Plantsexposed to 2 to 3 weeks of long day/short night conditions aftersticking followed by photoinductive short day/long night conditions,flower about 55 to 57 days later.

Postproduction longevity.--In an interior environment, inflorescencesand foliage of flowering plants will maintain good color and substancefor at least 18 days in an interior environment.

Quantity of inflorescences.--8 to 10 inflorescences per flowering stem.

Inflorescence size.--Diameter: About 8 to 9 cm. Depth (height): About2.7 cm. Diameter of disc: About 3 mm.

Ray florets.--Shape: Rounded, wide. Size: Length: 3.8 to 4.1 cm. Width:1.4 to 1.6 cm. Apex: Rounded. Base: Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture:Satiny, smooth and glabrous. Aspect: Flat. Number of ray florets perinflorescence: About 330. Color: When opening, upper surface: 2D.Whenopening, under surface: 2D. Mature, upper surface: 155D. Mature, undersurface: 155D.

Disc florets.--Shape: Tubular. Size: Length: About 4 mm. Width: About 1mm. Number of disc florets per inflorescence: About 10. Color: Immature:154A. Mature: 12A.

Peduncle.--Aspect: Strong and angled about 30° to the stem. Length: 6 to7 cm. Texture: Glabrous. Color: 147B.

Reproductive organs.--Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anthercolor: 12A. Pollen: Moderate, 12A in color.Gynoecium: Present on bothray and disc florets. Style color: 154A.

Disease resistance: No known Chrysanthemum diseases observed to date onplants grown under commercial greenhouse conditions.

Seed production: Seed production has not been

    ______________________________________                                        CHART A                                                                                          IVORY                                                                         FASHION    FASHION                                         CHARACTERISTIC     TIME       TIME                                            ______________________________________                                        PLANT HEIGHT       25 to 26 cm                                                                              27.5 to 28 cm                                   QUANTITY OF LATERAL                                                                              4          3.5                                             BRANCHES AFTER                                                                REMOVAL OF                                                                    TERMINAL APEX                                                                 INFLORESCENCE DIAMETER                                                                           8 to 9 cm  9.5 to 10 cm                                    INFLORESCENCE DEPTH                                                                              About 2.7 cm                                                                             About 3.1 cm                                    (HEIGHT)                                                                      RAY FLORET LENGTH  3.8 to 4.1 cm                                                                            4.7 to 5 cm                                     RAY FLORET COLOR, WHEN                                                                           2D         62B                                             OPENING, UPPER SIDE                                                           RAY FLORET COLOR,  155D       62C                                             MATURE, UPPER SIDE                                                            RAY FLORET COLOR,  155D       62D                                             MATURE, UNDER SIDE                                                            ______________________________________                                    

    ______________________________________                                        CHART B                                                                                          IVORY                                                                         FASHION                                                    CHARACTERISTIC     TIME       ENVY                                            ______________________________________                                        PLANT HEIGHT       25 to 26 cm                                                                              23 to 24 cm                                     QUANTITY OF LATERAL                                                                              4          3                                               BRANCHES AFTER                                                                REMOVAL OF                                                                    TERMINAL APEX                                                                 LATERAL BRANCH LENGTH                                                                            21 to 23 cm                                                                              15 to 18 cm                                     VIGOR              Vigorous   Moderate                                        LEAF LENGTH        11 to 12.5 cm                                                                            12 to 14 cm                                     LEAF WIDTH         6 to 7 cm  6.5 to 8 cm                                     QUANTITY OF        8 to 10    6 to 7                                          INFLORESCENCES PER STEM                                                       INFLORESCENCE DIAMETER                                                                           8 to 9 cm  10 to 11 cm                                     INFLORESCENCE DEPTH                                                                              About 2.7 cm                                                                             About 2.8 cm                                    (HEIGHT)                                                                      RAY FLORET LENGTH  3.8 to 4.1 cm                                                                            4.5 to 5.25 cm                                  RAY FLORET WIDTH   1.4 to 1.6 cm                                                                            1.1 to 1.3 cm                                   RAY FLORET COLOR, WHEN                                                                           2D         7D                                              OPENING, UPPER SIDE                                                           NUMBER OF RAY FLORETS                                                                            About 330  About 276                                       PER INFLORESCENCE                                                             DISC FLORET LENGTH About 4 mm About 6 mm                                      DISC FLORET QUANTITY                                                                             About 10   About 44                                        PER INFLORESCENCE                                                             DIAMETER OF DISC   About 3 mm 7 to 9 mm                                       PEDUNCLE LENGTH    6 to 7 cm  3.5 to 4.5 cm                                   ______________________________________                                    

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed Ivory Fashion Time, as illustrated and described.